Improbable Women: Five Who Explored the Middle East (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.22 (913 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0815610238 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 312 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-03-05 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
- Laila Noman, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates . Interesting and highly entertaining It reaches back to these remarkable women and their exploits at a time when ladies did not travel so far and wide
That did not stop five daring women from abandoning their conventional lives and venturing into the heart of this inhospitable region. Today, her legend attracts thousands of visitors to her capital, Palmyra, one of the great ruined cities of the ancient world. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, during the time of Ottoman rule, travel to the Middle East was almost impossible for Westerners. Before Emperor Aurelian prevailed against her forces, she had seized almost one-third of the Roman Empire. Although the women lived in different time periods, ranging from the eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, they all came from middle to upper-class British backgrounds and overcame great societal pressures to pursue their independence.Cotterman situates their lives against a backdrop of the Middle Eastern history that was the setting for their adventures. Zenobia was the third-century Syrian queen who rebelled against Roman rule. Improbable Women explores the lives of Hester Stanhope, Jane Digby, Isabel Burton, Gertrude Bell, and Freya Stark, narrating the story of each woman's pilgrimage
Kimberly the Librarian said Best if you are NEW to Biographies. This titles contains accounts of five upper class, British, women who explored and loved the Middle East. The book begins with the story/legend of Zenobia, the only woman in the book I had not read about before. The author painted Zenobia as a force that drew and inspired each woman but I felt like this was a little far-fetched. However, Zenobia’s section was interesting and left me wishing I knew more about her. The other five women were given brief sections that highlighted the. Wolf Nineteenth century British women find adventure in the MIddle East In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, upper class British women were expected to bear children, entertain guests and, above all, remember their place. At a time when travel to France or Spain was the height of adventure, a journey to the Middle East, even by a man, was considered dangerously foolhardy and such a trip by a woman was too fantastic to even consider.This book tells the story of five British women who were not content to endure the stifling boredom of British soc. 59 said Nineteenth century British women find adventure in the MIddle East. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, upper class British women were expected to bear children, entertain guests and, above all, remember their place. At a time when travel to France or Spain was the height of adventure, a journey to the Middle East, even by a man, was considered dangerously foolhardy and such a trip by a woman was too fantastic to even consider.This book tells the story of five British women who were not content to endure the stifling boredom of British soc. "Great Biography About Six Remarkable Women" according to Lauralee. What do these five women - Hester Stanhope, Jane Digby, Isabel Burton, Gertrude Bell, and Freya Stark-have in common? According to Improbable Women, each of them were fascinated by Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra. Each of them have braved the dangers of the Middle Eastern desert to visit and pay homage to Zenobia’s Palmyra, a once great city that was destroyed by the Romans. Therefore, this book is a chronicle of these five women’s pilgrimage to the ancient ruined city of Palmyra
He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East.. William Woods Cotterman is Professor and Chair Emeritus of computer information systems at Georgia State University